Four Rhode Island Pharmacists Sanctioned by Department of Health

Four Rhode Island Pharmacists Sanctioned by Department of Health

Four Rhode Island pharmacists have been reprimanded by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH).

The four were cited for claiming that they had completed legally required continuing education (CE) when they had not.

Each had affirmed on the required RIDOH documents that they had done the CE work; an audit conducted by RIDOH uncovered they all lied about doing so.

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Now, they must take double the amount of continuing education hours to maintain their license.

With thousands of new drugs each year and new information about the effectiveness of drugs, pharmacists are faced with a constant need for medical education.

According to Pharmacy Times, “Continuing education is crucial for pharmacists because it allows them to stay updated on the latest medications, treatment guidelines, and safety protocols, ensuring they can provide the best possible patient care by preventing medication errors and making informed decisions about drug therapies, ultimately improving patient outcomes; this also helps them adapt to the rapidly changing healthcare landscape and maintain their professional competency, often required by licensing boards to practice pharmacy.” 

A critical issue that requires constant professional education is staying current with drug interactions and proper medication usage can significantly reduce medication errors and improve patient safety.

 

Pharmacists Sanctioned

This week, licensed pharmacists Adebunmi Akinkoutu, Nicholas Laverdiere, Bryan Vachon and Hilary Humulock were all reprimanded for the following, according to RIDOH:

"Respondent renewed their license as a registered pharmacist for the licensing period of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 and answered ‘yes’ to the following questions: ‘I have completed all applicable CE (continuing education) requirements for this renewal period and state in the Rules and Regulations for my profession.’

A routine audit conducted by the Department demonstrated that the respondent failed to complete continuing education requirements in violation of R5-19.1-PHAR-7.4.

Pursuant to *5-19.1-21, the foregoing facts constitute unprofessional conduct in the State of Rhode Island. 

Respondent shall obtain an additional ten hours live continuing education credits as well as twenty hours non-live credits in addition to the fifteen credit hours of continuing education required under  R5-19.1-PHAR-7.4. for 2023."